Iditarod: Official Start from Willow, AK

From www.adn.com:

WILLOW -- To the cheers of crowds lining the trail, DeeDee Jonrowe mushed her 16-dog team down the start chute on Willow Lake early this afternoon to get the 39th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started. 

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Behind Jonrowe were 61 other mushers ready to see if a year or more of training would pay off in the world's richest and most-prominent sled dog race.

• Four-time defending champion Lance Mackey of Fairbanks can extend his record for consecutive wins and tie Rick Swenson as the winningest Iditarod champion with five victories. The biggest crowd of race fans crowded around Mackey on Sunday.

• Martin Buser of Big Lake could also tie Swenson, but the fastest racer in Iditarod history has not won since 2002 and he slipped to 22nd last year.

• Mitch Seavey of Sterling won in 2004 and has been among the top-10 racers every year since. But this year Seavey may be overshadowed by his 24-year-old son, Dallas, who won the Yukon Quest a month ago and is a threat to add the title of Youngest Champion to the Youngest Starter title he already owns. Dallas' rookie Iditarod run started the day after he turned 18.

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More than two hours after Jonrowe hits the trail, another Willow resident, Justin Savidis, will close out the proceedings as the 62nd and last musher on the trail.

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The trail to Nome appears to be in top shape, according to race marshall Mark Nordman, with good snow cover throughout.